Washington Report: changes in stall training

Stall training has been a hot topic for many years, but it's taken on even more importance in the wake of some high profile airline crashes in recent years. The FAA has now responded, with Advisory Circular 120-109, covering training for stalls and stick pusher activation.
Fuel gauges getting low

8 SOPs for instrument flying

Do you fly with SOPs? Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are commonly used in the corporate and airline flying world, as a way of formalizing the do's and don'ts of a flight department, but they can be very useful for private pilots, too. Here are eight SOPs I follow when I fly IFR.
Dearborn airport

Fields of vision: carving hills into airports

When the Wright brothers finally had a flying machine that could take off and fly under complete control, they still had no place to fly it from. Phil Scott shares the fascinating history of how airports came to be, from grass fields to WPA airports in the 1930s.

The great debate: the “spouse factor”

Before every flight, pilots make some sort of go/no-go decision, even if it happens nearly instantly. A good decision-making process involves a review of the weather conditions, the health of the pilot and the condition of the airplane. But there's another factor that comes into play more than we probably admit: passengers.
Pilots asleep

The silent killer

Some years ago I got interested in the role of pilot incapacitation in serious general aviation accidents. There are some who think sugar-coating helps on things like this. I don’t. What I found was revealing and it is worth a review.
Cessna's XT-37 jet

The production T-37 “Tweet” serves up an enduring mystery

In very early 1952, I was an undergraduate working part time in Cessna’s Flight Test, Aerodynamics and Preliminary Design Group when a request for proposal for the TX came in from the Air Force. The TX was to be the first, that is the primary, trainer in a series of three new trainers which would finish with the TZ, a supersonic one.
cockpit shot of Malibu

The sorry state of weather training

It’s become fashionable to complain about the lack of stick and rudder training today--just tune into our long-running debate about stall training if you don't believe me. But before we run off and mandate 100 hours of taildragger training for every pilot, we should look at the numbers.

Go or No Go: home for the holidays

It's the week of Thanksgiving, and your mission today is critical for staying married: you'll be flying with your wife from your home outside San Francisco to visit the in-laws in Seattle for turkey day. Your flight is scheduled to depart in an hour. Read the weather briefing here, then decide if you're flying or driving.
Jerrie Mock and the Spirit of Columbus

Geraldine Mock and the Spirit of Columbus

Ask the average person on the street, “Who was the first woman to fly around the world solo?” and you’ll likely hear, “Amelia Earhart.” Of course, they would be wrong. Ask that same question of a pilot and you’ll get a blank stare. That’s because most pilots know that someone must have done it, but they aren’t sure who.
Citation Mustang

Washington Report: FAR Part 23 rewrite

One of the major reasons cited for the declining pilot population is the high cost of new airplanes, with a new Cessna 172 costing $300,000 or more. But a new group hopes to turn back this tide by simplifying the certification process. Can they succeed?

Flight Reviews: is there a better way?

I sometimes wonder about the value of a 30-year pilot demonstrating his skills to a 200-hour airline wannabe and, hopefully, with due humility, I sometimes feel that there has to be a better way to ensure the competence of our pilot population than a one-size-fits-all mandatory biennial flight review.
aviation mentors

Aviation mentorship

Most of us can look back and identify at least one person who took us under their wing and helped out. They probably didn’t have the official title of “mentor” and it wasn’t under a formal program, but they certainly contributed to our overall success. Knowing how powerful this can be for someone that is on the outside looking in, how do we go about doing it?
Airline pilots on strike

Losing pilots

New pilots have been declining for a while, this is nothing new. But why… well if we knew that as pilots we’d change it, wouldn’t we! Here are some ideas though and perhaps that will spark someone else into an idea how to solve it.
Hurricane Sandy satellite

Lighten up, Sandy baby…

Weather expert Richard Collins shares his perspective on Sandy, the super storm that hammered the northeast US this week. Learn why the storm turned back to the west, and how Collins rode out the storm.
CWSU chart

10 great online weather tools you may not know about

For true weather geeks, a pre-flight weather briefing can be a lot of fun, not just a requirement to be completed as quickly as possible. Everyone has their list of favorite weather sites, but here is my top 10 list of useful weather websites that aren't as well known as they should be.

The Great Debate: are straight-in approaches OK?

The vast majority of airports in the United States (some 20,000) have no control tower, a fact that shocks many non-pilots. But the traffic pattern at these airports usually operates quite smoothly, with pilots flying prescribed routes and announcing their positions on CTAF. But do you have to fly the classic four leg pattern?

Cub love: is simpler really better?

Hang around pilots long, and you’re sure to see someone get all teary-eyed about the J-3 Cub, Piper’s venerable taildragger that turns 75 this year. That yellow color, the open door, the grass in the tailwheel--it’s all part of the mystique. But for a while, I just didn’t get it.

Threat and Error Management: a primer

Brent Owens, a new Air Facts writer, offers an introduction to Threat and Error Management--"defensive driving for pilots." He says it's not just for airline pilots, and that through anticipation, recognition and recovery, pilots can improve safety. Read on to learn what it's all about.
Site radar

Go or No Go: Florida build-ups

Today's flight is a quick one, from the Atlantic coast of Florida (West Palm Beach, PBI) to the Gulf Coast (Tampa, TPA). The weather doesn't look too bad as you drive to the airport around noon, but the afternoon is yet to come. In Florida, you've learned to expect the unexpected, as conditions change quickly. Read the weather report below, then decide if you're going or not going.
Trans-Texas DC-3

A DC-3 dream: fleeting as it was

Dick Collins shares a confession: "almost 60 years ago I wanted very badly to become an airline pilot." He explains why in this trip through history, complete with DC-3 flights, local service airlines and $7 airfares.